Pharma project aims to help doctors find drug info

Some of the largest global pharma companies are coming together to set technology standards to make it faster and easier for doctors and healthcare professionals (HCPs) to find medical information.

Allergan, AstraZeneca, Biogen, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, and Pfizer – and IT firm Veeva Systems – have joined to form Align Biopharma, to help save doctors time and effort when looking for vital information about drugs and treatments.

Wikipedia has become the leading source of medical information for both doctors and patients, according to IMS Health data – but Align Biopharma wants to change this by offering a single identification and authentication standard to enable single sign-on for HCPs to access online content.

A second standard for HCP consent and communication preferences is also planned. This will allow life sciences companies to create a more seamless digital engagement experience for their shared customers, Veeva said.

The rise of speciality drugs to treat complex diseases is creating a greater need for HCPs to have more timely and tailored information. As the number of new drugs increases so does the amount of information healthcare professionals require to engage with patients.

Paul Shawah, vice president of commercial cloud strategy at Veeva, said: “With the proliferation of advanced treatments and digital channels, adhering to industry standards will simplify the challenges doctors face in getting the right information quickly.”

Patrick Retif, VP IT, Global Commercial at Allergan, added: “Common industry standards can make it more effective and efficient for life sciences companies and healthcare professionals to connect.

“Working together can help harmonise digital engagement and information access across the industry and create a better experience for our shared customers.”